ENGROSSED SECOND SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1760

ByHouse Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Paul, Berg, J. Johnson, Valdez, Fey, Ramel, Santos, Sullivan, Slatter, Bergquist, Pollet, Stonier, Ormsby, and Taylor)

AN ACT Relating to expanding access to dual credit programs; reenacting and amending RCW 28A.600.310; adding new sections to chapter 28A.600 RCW; creating a new section; and repealing RCW 28A.630.600.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 28A.600 RCW to read as follows:

(1) Prior to course scheduling or course registration for the next school term, each public school that serves students in any of grades nine through 12 must provide all students and their parents or legal guardians with: Information about each available dual credit program and any financial assistance available to reduce dual credit course costs for students and their families, including fee waivers for running start program courses under RCW 28A.600.310. The information must be provided via email and other communication methods, and, to the extent feasible, must be translated into the primary language of each parent or legal guardian.

(2) A public school may consolidate the notification required under subsection (1) of this section with the notifications required under RCW 28A.320.195, 28A.600.287, and 28A.600.320.

(3) As used in this section, "public school" has the same meaning as in RCW  28A.150.010.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.600 RCW to read as follows:

(1) Students participating in running start programs may be funded up to a combined maximum enrollment of 1.6 full-time equivalents, including school district and institution of higher education enrollment.

(2) In calculating the combined full-time equivalents, the office of the superintendent of public instruction:

(a) Must adopt rules to fund the participating student's enrollment in running start courses provided by the institution of higher education during the summer academic term; and

(b) May average the participating student's September through June enrollment to account for differences in the start and end dates for courses provided by the high school and the institution of higher education.

(3) Running start programs as a service delivery model, associated funding levels beyond 1.0 full-time equivalent per student, and funding for high school graduates enrolled in running start courses under RCW 28A.600.310(1)(b), are not part of the state's statutory program of basic education under chapter 28A.150 RCW.

(4) The office of the superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with the state board for community and technical colleges, the participating institutions of higher education, the student achievement council, and the education data center, must annually track, and report to the fiscal committees of the legislature, the combined full-time equivalent experience of students participating in running start programs, including course load analyses and enrollments by high school and participating institutions of higher education.

Sec. 3. RCW 28A.600.310 and 2019 c 252 s 115 and 2019 c 176 s 2 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

(1) Student eligibility for the running start program is provided in this subsection (1).

(a) Eleventh and ((twelfth))12th grade students or students who have not yet received the credits required for the award of a high school diploma and are eligible to be in the ((eleventh))11th or ((twelfth))12th grade((s)) may apply to a participating institution of higher education to enroll in courses or programs offered by the institution of higher education.

(b) ((The course sections and programs offered as running start courses must also be open for registration to matriculated students at the participating institution of higher education and may not be a course consisting solely of high school students offered at a high school campus))High school graduates who have 15 or fewer college credits to earn before meeting associate degree requirements may continue participation in the running start program and earn up to 15 college credits during the summer academic term following their high school graduation.

(c) A student receiving home-based instruction enrolling in a public high school for the sole purpose of participating in courses or programs offered by institutions of higher education shall not be counted by the school district in any required state or federal accountability reporting if the student's parents or guardians filed a declaration of intent to provide home-based instruction and the student received home-based instruction during the school year before the school year in which the student intends to participate in courses or programs offered by the institution of higher education. Students receiving home-based instruction under chapter 28A.200 RCW and students attending private schools approved under chapter 28A.195 RCW shall not be required to meet the student learning goals or to learn the state learning standards. ((However, students are eligible to))

(2) Students may enroll in courses or programs in participating universities only if the board of directors of the student's school district has decided to participate in the running start program.

(3) Participating institutions of higher education, in consultation with school districts, may establish admission standards for these students. If the institution of higher education accepts a secondary school ((pupil))student for enrollment under this section, the institution of higher education shall send written notice to the ((pupil))student and the ((pupil's))student's school district within ((ten))10 days of acceptance. The notice shall indicate the course and hours of enrollment for that ((pupil))student.

(((2)))(4) The course sections and programs offered as running start courses must be open for registration to matriculated students at the participating institution of higher education and may not be a course consisting solely of high school students offered at a high school campus.

(5)(a) In lieu of tuition and fees, as defined in RCW 28B.15.020 and 28B.15.041:

(i) Running start students shall pay to the community or technical college all other mandatory fees as established by each community or technical college and, in addition, the state board for community and technical colleges may authorize a fee of up to ((ten))10 percent of tuition and fees as defined in RCW 28B.15.020 and 28B.15.041; and

(ii) All other institutions of higher education operating a running start program may charge running start students a fee of up to ((ten))10 percent of tuition and fees as defined in RCW 28B.15.020 and 28B.15.041 in addition to technology fees.

(b) The fees charged under this subsection (((2)))(5) shall be prorated based on credit load.

(c) Students may pay fees under this subsection (5) with advanced college tuition payment program tuition units at a rate set by the advanced college tuition payment program governing body under chapter 28B.95 RCW.

(((3)))(6)(a) The institutions of higher education must make available fee waivers for low-income running start students. A student shall be considered low income and eligible for a fee waiver upon proof that the student is currently qualified to receive free or reduced-price lunch. Acceptable documentation of low-income status may also include, but is not limited to, documentation that a student has been deemed eligible for free or reduced-price lunches in the last five years, or other criteria established in the institution's policy.

(b)(i) By the beginning of the 2020-21 school year, school districts, upon knowledge of a low-income student's enrollment in running start, must provide documentation of the student's low-income status, under (a) of this subsection, directly to institutions of higher education.

(ii) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with the Washington student achievement council, shall develop a centralized process for school districts to provide students' low-income status to institutions of higher education to meet the requirements of (b)(i) of this subsection.

(c) Institutions of higher education, in collaboration with relevant student associations, shall aim to have students who can benefit from fee waivers take advantage of these waivers. Institutions shall make every effort to communicate to students and their families the benefits of the waivers and provide assistance to students and their families on how to apply. Information about waivers shall, to the greatest extent possible, be incorporated into financial aid counseling, admission information, and individual billing statements. Institutions also shall, to the greatest extent possible, use all means of communication, including but not limited to websites, online catalogues, admission and registration forms, mass email messaging, social media, and outside marketing to ensure that information about waivers is visible, compelling, and reaches the maximum number of students and families that can benefit.

(((4)))(7) The ((pupil's))student's school district shall transmit to the institution of higher education an amount per each full-time equivalent college student at statewide uniform rates for vocational and nonvocational students. The superintendent of public instruction shall separately calculate and allocate moneys appropriated for basic education under RCW 28A.150.260, and equivalent amounts for high school graduates enrolled in running start courses under subsection (1)(b) of this section, to school districts for purposes of making such payments and for granting school districts seven percent thereof to offset program related costs. The calculations and allocations shall be based upon the estimated statewide annual average per full-time equivalent high school student allocations under RCW 28A.150.260, excluding small high school enhancements, and applicable rules adopted under chapter 34.05 RCW. The superintendent of public instruction, participating institutions of higher education, and the state board for community and technical colleges shall consult on the calculation and distribution of the funds. The funds received by the institution of higher education from the school district shall not be deemed tuition or operating fees and may be retained by the institution of higher education. A student enrolled under this subsection shall be counted for the purpose of meeting enrollment targets in accordance with terms and conditions specified in the omnibus appropriations act.

--- END ---